In 1985, on the evening of April 23, all three major network news programs opened with the following flash: "Coke is changing its formula. The company claims it stumbled across a better, sweeter recipe for the flagship brand while developing Diet Coke. This "New Coke" fiasco has since been called the worst marketing blunder of all time, but led to unexpectedly positive results for the Coca-Cola Company.
Fiddling with the formula put Coke fans on the warpath. In Seattle, retired real estate investor Gay Mullins founded the Old Cola Drinkers of America and set up a hot line for angry consumers. A Beverly Hills wine merchant bought 500 cases of vintage Coke and sold them at a premium. Meanwhile, back at the Coca-Cola Company, some 1500 calls a day and vanloads of mail drove home the public's fury. Wrote one disgruntled consumer: "Changing Coke is like God making the grass purple or putting toes on our ears or teeth on our knees" (Consumer Reports, 525).
Coke got the message. After three months of lagging sales, it announced that "Old Coke", Coca-Cola Classic, would join the "New Coke" on supermarket shelves (Consumer Reports 525). Coke had failed to realize that its soft drink has historical significance to consumers. Coca-Cola is a tradition of sorts.